Research Methods vocab

microplastic

piece of plastic smaller than 5mm

nanoplastic

1-1000 nanometer piece of plastic

pyrolysis

thermal decomposition of plastic

styrene

colorless, volatile, flammable fluid that is used to make plastics

carbon black

fine black powder produced from the incomplete combustion of oil. It’s used to strengthen rubber.

polymer

chains or 3D networks of repeating organic units.

monomer

organic units that make up polymers

ethene (ethylene)

monomer that makes up polyethylene

polyethylene

transparent thermoplastic polymer that can be recycled

thermoplastic

polymer that can be melted and cooled to change its shape

thermoset

polymers that change chemically during the curing process and cannot be melted and reformed

compostable

organic items that decompose into nutrient rich soil within a few months under specific heat, moisture, and oxygen conditions.

internet of things

physical devices embedded with sensors, actuators, and communication modules are interconnected to connect, process, and exchange data autonomously.

GSM network

most widely used cellular network. SIM cards are not tied to carrier.

SMS

Short message service. sends text message over cellular networks instead of wifi

kalman-complementary filter

sensor fusion algorithms to combine data from multiple sensors to make estimations about the circumstances

debounce window

a technique to ensure that a single physical action isn’t registered as multiple. Ex: accidentally clicking the space bar twice instead of once just because your finger was close.

machine learning

a subset of artificial intelligence where computers use algorithms and statistical models to analyze data, identify patterns, and make decisions without explicit programming

primary symptoms

symptoms that occur during or directly after an event

secondary symptoms

symptoms that occur hours, days, or weeks after the event

focal injury

damages stay in one area of the brain

diffuse injury

damages that spread to other parts of the brain

diffuse axonal injury

widespread damages to the brain’s white matter. common in car accidents, falls, or sports injuries.

coup injury

contusion directly under impact site

contrecoup injury

contusion on opposite side of impact site

contusion

bruising or swelling of the brain when small blood vessels bleed into brain tissue

hematoma

bleeding into the brain caused by the burst of a blood vessel

intracerebral hematoma

bleeding into the brain itself—damages surrounding tissue

concussion

temporary head injury that is caused by the head being shaken inside the skull

loop recording

a video recording that continues indefinitely. The camera will write over old video to make space for new videos.